Taking our blessings

Sometimes I am surprised at how short our memories are. Here we are in one of the best winter seasons in the last few years, and all I hear are complaints. Too much snow, too much cold, too much rain. When will it ever get warm, when will we ever dry out.

And it’s true that the roads and cars are covered in cinder dust, it’s true that all the trails and many area roads are muddy, it’s true that winter has lasted longer this year than the last two years.

But we really should be thankful. With every flake of snow and every drop of rain, why aren’t we remembering our two-year drought? Why aren’t we remembering that the City of Flagstaff had to sell water to Williams last year? Why aren’t we thinking of the effect of a drought on livestock and on crops? Why do we the devastating fire on Kendrick Mountain?

I find it extremely ironic that the same people who complained and complained last summer about the forest closures, about the forest fires, about our desperate need for water, now complain so violently about the snow, and look on each storm with dread. As if the two things are unrelated.

We should be grateful now to feel the forest floor sink slightly underfoot, remembering the snap and crackle of pine needles, the waves of rising dust. We should remember the sound of dry air, the look of parched earth and allow ourselves to feel the relief of running water, the tiny rivulets flowing off our mesas and mountains.

Perhaps this is difficult with Spring knocking at the door. The tulips are coming up, the crocus are already beginning to bloom in a few parts of Flagstaff. The days between storms are warm and the sun feels glorious on our skin. We yearn for the changing season.

But it will be here, and, sooner than we think, we will be in shirtsleeves, surrounded by the new life that is even now thriving off the moisture of this winter. In the meantime, let’s take our blessings from whence they come.

— Janel States James

Flagstaff community angels

Remember the joke about Lucky the dog? A man has a dog that is missing a leg, an eye, and tail. His name? Lucky.

Pioneer, a multi-breed dog, who recently passed through Flagstaff, has had his own share of mishaps. Recently having lost a leg to cancer, Pioneer somehow managed to lose himself Wednesday, March 7. His owner, Bill Chamberlain, had traveled from his home near Sparks, Nevada, to pick up a load of dog food from the Purina plant along Route 66, in a U-Haul trailer. Pioneer accompanied his friend and owner.

Unfortunately, the U-Haul truck driven by Chamberlain broke down before he could head home. He was forced to take the truck to the U-Haul center on Huntington Drive, where temporary workers unloaded the dog food onto a new truck.

Pioneer escaped during the transfer. Chamberlain immediately called friend and fellow animal activist Stephanie Barsotti, who alerted the animal shelter and several media organizations. She also gathered several friends who joined in the search for Pioneer. Chamberlain got the U-Haul stuck in the mud during the search—it seemed things couldn’t get much worse. As night fell, the rain turned to snow and hope for Pioneer’s survival grew dim. But the dog was indeed lucky and was recaptured around 10:30 that night.

Chamberlain was grateful for help he received from community angels, which included two men in a private pickup who towed the U-Haul from the mud, U-Haul employees, KTNN for their immediate help in broadcasting news of Pioneer’s escape, Stephanie and her friends, and other unknown people who joined the search.

Lucky for Pioneer there are still good Samaritans willing to lend a hand.

— S.J. Wilson